This invention relates to the use of recombinant DNA techniques to produce human erythropoietin (EPO).
EPO is a protein, normally produced in the liver of the fetus and in the kidneys of adults, which plays a role in the regulation of the oxygen level of the blood by stimulating the proliferation and differentiation of red blood cell Precursor cells to mature red blood cells. Purified EPO can be administered to human patients for the treatment of medical problems associated with inadequate red blood cell supply, e.g., anemia and chronic renal failure. EPO has been produced in cultured cells transformed with a vector containing a cDNA encoding EPO, e.g., as described in Kirin-Amgen PCT Application No. WO85/02610.